Our 2013 Beneficiary: The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

After much deliberation, insight gathering and strategizing for 2013, we are happy to announce that we will continue our successful relationship with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society into 2013 as our primary beneficiary.

There are a few reasons we chose the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, but first let me address some obvious questions.

Our initial mission was to be an equal opportunity nonprofit, helping various cancer causes along the way. Each calendar year we’d raise awareness and funds for our beneficiary, and each following year we’d choose a new one to support. This year we even asked for your input, allowing our community to nominate a cause and received dozens of suggestions (thank you).

So why did we choose the same beneficiary as 2012?

What we’ve found is that it was harder than expected to partner with beneficiary organizations. The BJJ community, particularly due to its association with mixed martial arts, is still grossly misunderstood. Beneficiary organizations are careful who they partner with, and gaining their support turned out to be an arduous task. If we were to choose a new beneficiary each year, we’d spend valuable time simply trying to open doors, get meetings, and prove our worth as a valuable partner.

In 2012, we worked closely with the Leukemia & Lymphoma’s Connecticut chapter on various fundraising events, anchored by our TCO BJJ Open, where competitors earned their spot on the mat, fundraising for our cause and raising over $18,000. After merchandise sales, day-of registration fees and at-the-door donations, we had raised over $21,000 at the one event. Our familiarity with their organization (and their familiarity with ours) allows us to spend more time fighting cancer and less time trying to convince a new beneficiary organization that we’re a viable partner. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society knows that, and they’re ready to help.

Our 2013 Goals

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has embraced our organization wholeheartedly, and realize how amazing the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community truly is. In 2013, we are going to work with them on a national level to support our four fundraising tournaments, in hopes of raising over $100,000 on their behalf.

We’re looking forward to supporting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in 2013, reaching goals never achieved by a BJJ nonprofit.